First motorcycle accident

Message

NorthernPete · #31 Post by **NorthernPete** » Fri May 05, 2006 10:57 am

Hope alls good with the ankle and bike, and check that tire out. a small gouge can be a major problem. and the forks may be bent, so Ill do the same as alot of others and say get it checked out my a machanic (at the other guys expense for sure)

Stay safe!

camthepyro · #32 Post by **camthepyro** » Fri May 05, 2006 11:04 am

gitarjunky
PostPosted: Fri May 05, 2006 10:27 am Post subject:
Man, that sucks. I had a cager pull out infront of me from a left turn lane (going the same direction as me, he decided he didn't want to turn anymore and shot out infront of me as I was approaching the intersection and I hit the right side of his car) about a month ago. Definitely go see the doc...I hurt my thumb in that one, a month ago, and its still a little sore...probably should have gone to the doc in retrospect but...hindsight is 20/20!

Just learn from it and get back out there when you feel comfortable. Once you start feeling better, you realize the worst part is waiting for your bike to get outta the shop! I've been waiting about a month for mine...should be early next week though....anyway, feel better!

Why was it in the shop for over a month?

I'm having my step-dad take the bike in his truck tomorrow to a shop. The guy that owns the shop is pretty cool, and I was taking it in to his shop tomorrow anyway to get a new rear tire and have the carbs adjusted.

So tomorrow I'll take it in and go over what needs to be fixed. I think I'll need the following:

Rear tire
Front tire
Front fender
New hardware for the seat (it's stuck and won't come off)
The front forks fixed (I think they're bent)
New turn signals front and back
New headlight
New gas tank (I found out last night it was cracked or something, and is leaking)
New Tachometer (that was actually broken before the accident, but hey, they don't know that)
New left side plastic

I'll tell the mechanic he can charge a little extra if he can get it done quickly, because this is my only transportation right now.

MontyCarlo · #33 Post by **MontyCarlo** » Fri May 05, 2006 11:19 am

Word of warning: you might need to call the other guy's insurance and have an adjuster look at it *before* your mechanic starts work, otherwise they can try and jerk you around on the settlement. At a very minimum, take lots of digital photos of the bike and damage prior to getting it repaired, as the adjuster may want to call it a total loss and cut you a check for replacement value.

On that note, DON'T accept their first settlement offer. They will try to lowball you on both the bike, and the value for your "pain and suffering". You should get $$ above and beyond the cost of fixing your bike and your medical bills.

I am not the litigious type, and I'm not one to normally recommend this, but you might want to consult a personal injury lawyer. They are very good at extracting $$$ from insurance companies.

gitarjunky · #34 Post by **gitarjunky** » Fri May 05, 2006 11:43 am

Mine was in the shop for so long because they had to get the insurance adjuster out there to take pictures, that took like a week. Then they had to get all the damage approved by the company (Esurance was the jerk's company by the way, and I have to say, once they approved it and all that, I got all my money, including the money for towing costs, within a couple of days. I was surprised.) Then they had to order all the parts, which took a while. THEN the people at the shop didn't start putting it back together because they were waiting on the headlamp cowl, which was only scratched. So I told them to go ahead and fix all of it and send me the cowl in the mail when it comes, I'll fix that myself. Its just a pain in the "O Ring" more than anything...but it did give me significant time to cool off and get my head back where it should be when I get it back. I agree to either take really good digital pictures yourself, or have the adjuster come out and take pics BEFORE you start any type of repair. Let us know how it goes...

camthepyro · #35 Post by **camthepyro** » Fri May 05, 2006 12:26 pm

Yep, took pictures, you can look at them in my blog.

flynrider · #36 Post by **flynrider** » Fri May 05, 2006 2:06 pm

Given the list of items that need replacement, the insurance company is probably going to total it and offer you the market value of the bike. One of the problems with old bikes is that they can easily get to the point where fixing them (i.e. finding all of those old parts) can cost more than its value.

camthepyro · #37 Post by **camthepyro** » Fri May 05, 2006 2:12 pm

How much would they give me if the decide to total it? The retail value is $1,095 and trade in value is $665.

flynrider · #38 Post by **flynrider** » Fri May 05, 2006 2:39 pm

They'll give you the retail value. Their obligation is to "make you whole". That is to either fix it like it was before the accident, or give you enough money to replace what you lost with the same make and model in simlar condition. Since most people would have to buy a replacement bike at retail, that's the value they generally go by.

camthepyro · #39 Post by **camthepyro** » Fri May 05, 2006 5:16 pm

This sucks, now my gf is saying she doesn't want me to ride anymore. It's just really not fair, I've been riding less then a week, and some cager pulls an idiot move (which I could have possibly avoided if I had been more careful, and watched for it), and now she's saying she doesn't want me to ride anymore. I understand her concern, I really do. But "poo poo" happens, it's unfortunate, but it happened, and making me stop riding is going to take that back. Plus, this is my only means of transportion for at least another month, and I need to get to work to pay back the loan to my uncle on the stupid thing.

J.R. Bob Dobbs · #40 Post by **J.R. Bob Dobbs** » Sat May 06, 2006 2:41 am

People come and go in your life, but the motorcycle bug is likely to stay.

Top 10 reasons why a Motorcycle is better than a wife/gf ............